Bite of Fate was Untitled
by Baranorewen
Summary: An Innocent warg attack turns dangerous when Leggie is bit.
1. 1

Autumn was drawing to a close on Middle Earth. The forest was bare of all leaves and the wind whistled softly amongst the branches. The branches of the tallest trees in the forest were casting strange shadows on the leaf- strewn forest floor, by the light of the full moon. As the wind whipped silently through the trees the shadows seemed to come to life. The stars winked into existence, bright and yet dim compared to the moon. There was a chill in the air, something brought about by the coming of winter.  
  
Two figures walked alone, shadowed by the trees and the light of the moon. As an individual gets closer, it is obvious that the figure that is leading the two is tracking something and the persona in the back is listening closely to their surroundings. An owl hoots and both associates jump a little in surprise and keep going. There is very little communication between the two; it seems that they do not want to give away their position.  
  
"Mellon!" the companion in the back hissed, just loud enough for the other to hear. He was a human. A human speaking elvish is not something often heard on Middle Earth. For the most part humans and elves went their separate ways and tried very hard to ignore one another. The dark haired human, to add to the mystery was well dressed in the best Elven garb from Elrond's very own tailors. "Legolas! Wait! Did you hear that?!"  
  
"Yes, I heard it Estel. I am an elf, remember?" The blonde haired elf, for that is who was ahead of the human, Legolas the Prince on Mirkwood, gave Estel a critical look. "You grew up with elves as Elladan and Elrohir and you don't know that elves have superior hearing?" Legolas smiled mischievously and Aragorn glared back.  
  
Unexpectedly the companions dropped to the ground at half second intervals to each other, the elf hitting the ground first. "See? Elves even have better reflexes," he teased.  
  
As soon as he had said this, eight wargs leaped from the wood-work of the forest. They were so close the friends could hear them breathing and smell their stench. Legolas silently pulled out his bow. He figured that he could take out two or three before the creatures figured out where the companions were hidden, among the dead leaves. Notching an arrow he muttered a few elvish words to guide it to the target straight and true. Releasing the arrow Legolas watched as it went clean through the jugular of one of the beasts and stuck, quivering in the side of another. Both creatures fell heavily on top of one another. While Legolas took down the two creatures, Estel had drawn his sword and was ready when the entire pack came down on them.  
  
And down on them they came; loping over to them, trampling the brush beneath them as they came. Estel looked once more at his friend, "Good luck, mellon," he said before they were plunged into three to one battle. At once Estel saw that in order to live through this, he would have to take out one warg at a time. There was no possible way that he was going to take out three at once.  
  
Managing to get to the side of the warg, Estel plunged his sword into the heart, drawing forth a spurt of blood. Withdrawing his sword as fast as possible he whipped around and stuck his sword into the underside of a warg that had jumped. Legolas was fairing just as well, he had taken down one, no two, in the same movement, moving his dagger through the neck of one and into the throat of the other. With a quick swipe he killed the last one, sinking his dagger into its chest. Glancing over at Estel, he noticed a warg stalking his human friend from behind, it leaped. Estel still didn't see it. Without a moment's hesitation, Legolas let fly an arrow that struck the creature down. The animal fell, onto Estel's leg.  
  
"Umph." Estel protested to the added weight to his leg that caused him to tumble to the ground.  
  
Legolas kicked the creature and chuckled, "The future king of men, thrown down by a warg. Sometimes, Aragorn, I worry for your race."  
  
With some effort, Estel heaved the creature off his leg. However, the claw of the warg left a gash on his thigh. Estel sat up and winced in pain as he realized that his thigh was bleeding profusely. Tearing off a piece of his tunic, Aragorn wrapped a make-shift bandage around his leg to stop the bleeding until they could make it back to Rivendell.  
  
Legolas up ahead and Aragorn limping slightly behind, the two friends started towards Rivendell. Suddenly, both friends straightened, and shivered. They looked at each other with raised eyebrows.  
  
Estel spoke first, "What was THAT?!"  
  
Legolas shook his head, "Not a clue."  
  
Aragorn shivered again and looked quickly around the forest, "Come on, and lets go. I don't know what caused that and I'm not sure I want to find out."  
  
Legolas looked around uneasily, "You're right, lets get out of here."  
  
They started off again but before they go very far they heard a howl that made their skin crawl. "A lone warg?" Estel suggested hopefully.  
  
Legolas shook his head, "Wargs travel in packs, and usually if you hear one howl, they all howl."  
  
"Well then, Mellon, what is it?"  
  
"I don't know, Aragorn, I don't know."  
  
Out of the blue, there was a streak of fur, and Aragorn saw Legolas fall underneath the bulk of another warg. Aragorn pulled a dagger and embedded it in the thick skin of the warg. It barked in protest and ran away whimpering.  
  
Legolas moaned and Estel ran over to help his friend. There was a cut, bleeding hard, on his side right above his hip and there were bite marks on his chest as though the creature tried to bite him but Estel scared him away before he could. While the bite, wasn't deep it was still bleeding profusely.  
  
Legolas's eyes' fluttered from loss of blood.  
  
Aragorn looked around franticly. He could maybe stop the bleeding of the bite mark, but chances are that he would only be able to slow the cut on his friend's side, and that might not be enough. They were miles from Rivendell. His healing skills were not abundant and even those were dependant on plants that were dead, or dying because of the season.  
  
He took off his jacket and put it on top of Legolas who was now shivering from cold and blood loss. Then, he tore his tunic and wrapped it around Legolas's cuts to slow the bleeding. Aragorn picked Legolas up and held him over his shoulder. Thinking hard he calculated that he would probably reach Rivendell just before morning.  
  
He took off, Legolas over one shoulder, limping as he went. He only hoped that he wouldn't pass out along the way to Rivendell, and Legolas dying of blood loss or being attacked by that Warg again. Into the night he stumbled. 


	2. 2

Narmo winced as he wrapped the last of the gauze around his waist, just below his rib cage. He ran his hand over the wall where there were nine thousand eight hundred sixty-nine grooves, marking each day that he had been banished starting from when he found this place and called it home. Twenty-seven years and eight days he had lived in this drab, dark hole in a mountain. There was a single lantern hanging from a perfectly formed stalactite casting an eerie glow in the dark cave. Tucked away in a corner there was a small pit,with the charred remains of a fire, and a cookpot lying on the table, nearby.  
  
Hobbling over to the table, Narmo examined the newest addition to his cave. The blade that he held was a perfectly crafted elven blade. Whoever lost it, he thought, was sure to miss it.  
  
He missed the elven community that he was from; the companionship, the beauty, the love and trust. He missed the diet, good food that he had long forgotten the taste of. He was jealous of elves of the life that they were born into. He had once been a part of that life and he had lost it. Jealous, yes, and angry, angry at the whole race. "They banished me," he muttered, "I will have revenge." He let fly the dagger which embedded itself in the stone.  
  
Bending over slightly to pull the blade out of the wall he gasped in pain. Suddenly, he started laughing so hard that tears of mirth and pain rolled down his cheek. He considered that he was in pain wait until that elf that he had stabbed tried to live out a normal life with his new problem.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Elladan and Elrohir wandered the woods on the fringes of Rivendell one sunny afternoon. Legolas and Estel had been gone for four days and all of Rivendell was worried for they had promised to be back in two. Just two hours earlier the twins had been summoned by Lord Elrond, their father and Estel's adopted father. His words rang in their ears as they hunted the expanse of the woods. "'Dan, 'Ro? I'm worried. Your brother was due back two days ago and he has yet to return." Elladan remembered laughing and saying that they were always late back and that there was no reason to worry. Elrond had only fixed him with one of his famed glares, "I am really worried, my sons. I have a feeling that Estel and Legolas have need of us."  
  
So there they were, searching the whole forest for two people. Elrohir growled softly, "Ada has gone mad! How are we to find two people in all this forest?" He gestured at the forest in front of them.  
  
Elladan sighed, "I know, but let us look a little longer, Ada does not usually have senior moments."  
  
Suddenly there was a crash not far away in the leaves and Elladan and Elrohir ran towards the sound. Amongst the settling leaves were two bodies, they seemed as though dead. It was Aragorn and Legolas.  
  
Elladan fell down beside the two, "They are not dead yet and from the looks and sounds of it Estel is better off than Legolas, but they are both suffering from blood loss and exaustion. We must get them to Ada."  
  
Lifting up Legolas Elrohir muttered, "The Valar forgive me for doubting Ada."  
  
Elladan chuckled and lifted Aragorn. 


	3. 3

Legolas woke in the infirmary of Rivendell, staring at the familiar ceiling was strangely comforting. It was like coming home. Gazing out the windows, he saw that it was night again. As he looked more closely, he noticed that it was a new moon. Legolas smiled softly, these nights were oddly soothing for him, so quiet and peaceful. The stars shone brightly in the dark, like pins that had been forced through a piece of heavy black cloth. Why he found these nights quite so calming he did not know; he assumed it was because of the quiet that was so often missing from his life.  
  
There was a moan from the bed next to him. Legolas chuckled and without averting his eyes from the night sky, said, "Aragorn, this familiar?"  
  
Aragorn glanced at Legolas who still was staring out the window. "The infirmary or the night?" he asked, "What is out there anyway?"  
  
"Nothing." Legolas answered simply.  
  
Aragorn rolled over, "You alright?"  
  
"Yes, what about you?" Legolas tore his eyes from the window, "I mean your leg. How is your leg?"  
  
"It hurts. Ada said that I won't be walking for another week." He sighed, "How am I supposed to stay in bed for another week?!"  
  
"Legolas laughed, "Estel, you won't stay in bed for another week. I know you. You'll be up and about in a few days, pain or no pain."  
  
Estel grinned, "And you?"  
  
Legolas winced as he settled himself in the bed, "I'm in a bit of pain as well, but it's not bad, and I'll be fine in a few days of rest," He paused, "speaking of which, I'm going back to sleep." With that Legolas rolled over and fell asleep watching the sky.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~5 Days Later*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I don't understand Ada! I spoke to him not five days ago and he was fine!"  
  
"I know, I know, Estel! I don't understand either." Elrond and Aragorn were in the library.  
  
Elrond was sitting at the table going through all the books that he could find on medicine and Estel was pacing and yelling.  
  
"Ada! There must be something! Athelas? Kingsfoil?"  
  
Elrond chuckled, but at the look of absolute horror on his son's face stopped short, "I'm sorry son, but you are so worked up that you are repeating things!"  
  
Estel glared, "This is not funny! My best and closest friend is in there with a fever that we can't bring down and the wound is not infected, so by all rights he shouldn't even have a fever!"  
  
Elrond sighed, "Yondo, I know you are worried for your friend, I am too. But you need to sleep, you're exhausted. You will be no good to Legolas in this shape." His eyes conveyed his worry for his son more than his words.  
  
"I know Ada," Estel's eyes watered slightly, and he wiped away the tears, "I know, but, if I loose him, I don't know what I will do."  
  
"Estel, get some sleep," Elrond touched Aragorn's arm slightly; "I will wake you if there is any change."  
  
"Thank you Ada!" Aragorn embraced his adopted father tightly.  
  
Elrond smiled worriedly, as his son left the room, he remembered when Estel was a small boy and would cry himself to sleep, because of his parents, in his arms. He hoped, for his son's sake that Legolas would recover, if Aragorn lost another that he loved Elrond wasn't sure that his boy would recover from the shock.  
  
Legolas had not touched his food since that night that Estel talked to him. Elrond had on more than one occasion come in to find Legolas looking almost hungrily at whoever was in the room. He just didn't understand it.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Another Week Later*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Legolas gasped and strained in the bed that he had been in for two weeks. Flailing about, he fell out of bed with a thunk that woke Aragorn who had been asleep in the chair by the bed.  
  
"Legolas?" Aragorn asked.  
  
Legolas just gaped and thrashed around in the sheets that had fallen to the floor with him. It was as though something had taken hold of his body and was trying to kill Legolas.  
  
"ADA!" Estel screamed for his father and crouched down beside Legolas. Holding his arms and legs down Aragorn tried to get close enough to see if anything was blocking his friend's windpipe, and that would be why he was gasping. He couldn't get close enough. "Please Legolas," he begged, "Let me help." He tried again and this time managed in successfully trying to fish out what was blocking Legolas's air. There was nothing there.  
  
"ADA!" he shouted again, he needed help and quickly. "Where is that son of an Orc?" Aragorn muttered. He was now sitting on the floor holding Legolas's head, watching helplessly as his friend thrashed and gasped wildly on the floor.  
  
Legolas stopped thrashing. Quickly Aragorn bent over his chest to be sure he was still breathing and he was. With a sigh of relief, Estel lifted his friend back onto the bed.  
  
All of a sudden, Legolas gasped quite loudly, and his entire body arced upwards, his eyes fluttered and closed, and he went limp.  
  
Estel rushed over to hear his companion's heart, but there was nothing there. His chest was not moving either. Looking in horror at the face of his friend that would never conform into a smile again, he silently started crying.  
  
Tears rushing down his face, Estel shook Legolas, "Wake up Legolas! Wake UP!"  
  
Elrond came running in with a look of fear on his face, "My son, what is it? A servant told me you called, but I must have been deep in slumber." He glanced at Legolas and gasped at what he saw. Placing his hand on Estel's shoulder, he whispered, "Valar, Estel, what happened?"  
  
With that, Estel lost all control that he had previously had, and threw himself on Legolas's body and sobbed.  
  
******  
  
Somewhere, in a cave, Narmo howled once and whispered, "It is time." 


End file.
